Replacing iWeb in 2022... with what? (You read that right)

[Wingsley]

Currently, I'm using a late-2013 iMac with a Core i5 processor, running MacOS 10.12 "Sierra" and looking to clean-install MacOS 10.14 "Mojave" in the near-term. I want to stay at 10.14 "Mojave" on the old iMac for as long as possible. I intend to retain the old iMac to run older Mac software and also to maybe install Windows to run Intel Windows-only software. I may buy a new Apple Silicon Macintosh in the coming weeks or months, which will obviously not run the older software.

If I make a new Mac my main machine, I'm left with a dilemma. There is no more iWeb. As a volunteer, I publish a small public web-site to promote an annual history one-day event each June. I use GoDaddy to maintain the site name and web-server space. I have been using iWeb for almost 15 years and since it is no longer actively supported by Apple, and obviously won't run on any new Macintosh, I was wondering if anyone has an idea where I can find a no-cost or low-cost modern replacement for iWeb that will run on Apple Silicon. One thing I really liked about iWeb on the Mac is that it could handle using PostScript images created in either PDF or Illustrator format as re-size-able web page graphics (like a map created in Illustrator) with no problem.

I would like to find something that I could post a simple calendar link to, so that people could visit the site on a computer, phone, or tablet, and have a link so they could add the event date to their personal calendar.

Is there anything out there in 2022? I honestly have no idea. Do I need to shut down the web-site and create a no-cost blog? If so, is there a way to connect a blog to our event's Facebook page?

 

[Fravin]

Hello there!

You won't find an easy way as iWeb was. But the good news is that you have a lot of new tricks to use on your website.

Take a look at Sparkle it's a one pay app that runs on Apple Silicon and is very user-friendly.

You may take a look on web-based solutions too. I think Jimdo is a good place to start. It's costly but simple.

 

[combatphotog]

Look into Everweb, closest thing to Iweb, I believe it was based in it, works very well.

 

[MBAir2010]

Look into Everweb, closest thing to Iweb, I believe it was based in it, works very well.

thanks,
i just had an epiphany, do we REALLY need Dreamweaver in 2022?
as a html <tr> etc web builder, using tables and tr are fun, original
and i can control the spacing, effects and size that i deem necessary.
but if the drag and publish sites are getting better at customizing anything.

i currently have 3 on one site were my comic book, comixs and art work are presented.
and i have some skeletons on dreamweaver that are not published.
is owning or running a website still feasible in 2022?

 

[Wingsley]

thanks,
i just had an epiphany, do we REALLY need Dreamweaver in 2022?
as a html <tr> etc web builder, using tables and tr are fun, original
and i can control the spacing, effects and size that i deem necessary.
but if the drag and publish sites are getting better at customizing anything.

i currently have 3 on one site were my comic book, comixs and art work are presented.
and i have some skeletons on dreamweaver that are not published.
is owning or running a website still feasible in 2022?

This sentiment is precisely why I started another thread, to ask about eliminating my event site in favor of a free blog that might do the same thing.

 

[sgtaylor5]

Perhaps RocketCake?

 

[conmee]

Or just run El Capitan or Sierra in a Parallels VM and keep using iLife /iDVD/iWeb. I like to have iLife around for sentimental reasons.

An older macOS VM may startup slowly on your iMac depending on drive type and amount of memory, but once it’s up and running should be fine for what you’re doing and you can keep using iWeb indefinitely.

 

[RC Mike]

Sparkle.

 

[MBAir2010]

Perhaps RocketCake?

with RocketCake, you get what you pay for
i have that on my MBA and built a simple 5 page website that is bland.
but that was in October last year, an dcan add some GIF slideshows.

 

[MacCheetah3]

It has been quite a few years since I’ve used one. So, I can’t suggest anything based on experience. There do appear to be some good suggestions thus far. Even so, maybe skim over these lists:

30 Best Drag and Drop / WYSIWYG Website Builders - Quertime

30 Best Drag and Drop / WYSIWYG Website Builders - Quertime

www.quertime.com

https://www.softwaretestinghelp.com/best-wysiwyg-html-editors/

 

[Fox Trot]

Or just run El Capitan or Sierra in a Parallels VM and keep using iLife /iDVD/iWeb. I like to have iLife around for sentimental reasons.

An older macOS VM may startup slowly on your iMac depending on drive type and amount of memory, but once it’s up and running should be fine for what you’re doing and you can keep using iWeb indefinitely.

@conmee - Thank you for this info. This is exactly what I am hoping to figure out. I had iWeb on my previous 2004 iMac and after upgrading to a 2016 iMac and keeping up-to-date with Apple’s latest OS’s, I’ve lost the ability to use iWeb and am not sure how to go about recovering it. You are the first to suggest this and as I have an older Mac Mini, plus iLife, iWork, etc., on disc I would love it if you could offer more direction as to how to accomplish what you’ve suggested.

Is it as simple as downgrading a Mac to El Capitan or Sierra or is that even possible if the Mac is running the latest OS?

Do newer iMacs/Mini’s allow one to install older versions of the OS or should I be looking for and older model iMac/Mini and work from there?

I really appreciate any advice or direction you can give.

Thank You!

~ fox

 

[Fox Trot]

*You are the first to suggest this (that I know of).

 

[eRondeau]

+1 for EverWeb. You might also consider SquareSpace... I use both now, formerly used iWeb... both are really good.

 

[conmee]

@conmee - Thank you for this info. This is exactly what I am hoping to figure out. I had iWeb on my previous 2004 iMac and after upgrading to a 2016 iMac and keeping up-to-date with Apple’s latest OS’s, I’ve lost the ability to use iWeb and am not sure how to go about recovering it. You are the first to suggest this and as I have an older Mac Mini, plus iLife, iWork, etc., on disc I would love it if you could offer more direction as to how to accomplish what you’ve suggested.

Is it as simple as downgrading a Mac to El Capitan or Sierra or is that even possible if the Mac is running the latest OS?

Do newer iMacs/Mini’s allow one to install older versions of the OS or should I be looking for and older model iMac/Mini and work from there?

I really appreciate any advice or direction you can give.

Thank You!

~ fox

All my suggestions assume you're using an Intel (not PowerPC) Mac/iMac/Mini/Pro/etc with Intel compatible software (not sure if 2004 versions of iLife/iWork will install on newer macOS). I recommend using the final iLife version that came on DVD (iLife 09). If you don't have iLife/iWork 09 you can still pick up used discs on eBay for around $20 for both. I currently have iLife/iWork 09 installed on El Capitan in a virtual machine on Parallels 17 on macOS Big Sur.

To answer your first question, by using Parallels, there's no need to install/downgrade the OS on your computer. Parallels allows you to run older operating systems (Windows, Linux, macOS) virtually on top of your installed macOS. If this doesn't make sense, go to the Parallels website to learn more about virtualization if you're new to it. VMware also has a similar product called Fusion which does more or less the same thing as Parallels. I just happen to use Parallels.

To answer your second question, for some time now, the oldest macOS you can physically install on your Mac is the version that came with it. For example, my 2019 MacBook Pro came with Mojave pre-installed. I can install Mojave or any macOS version after Mojave that supports Intel CPUs, but can't install earlier OSes such as El Capitan or Sierra. In your case, if you have a 2016 iMac (or maybe a mid/late 2015 as everymac.com doesn't list a 2016 iMac), it likely came with El Capitan preinstalled and will support up to macOS Monterey installed.

If possible, I recommend at least 16GB RAM and an SSD for storage as that will give you the best experience. Parallels will run sluggishly on 8GB or with a traditional/hybrid/fusion drive, but it will work. Once it's up and running and you're using iWeb or iDVD, should be fine. But more RAM and faster SSD are always preferred if possible.

1) I recommend using the latest macOS your machine will support (Monterey).

2) Buy a single/perpetual/one time license of Parallels and install it. You won't need any of the advanced features/tools of the annual subscription version if you're just running some old iLife software.

3) Download the OS X installer you want to run in Parallels. You can go here https://mrmacintosh.com/how-to-download-macos-catalina-mojave-or-high-sierra-full-installers/ to download El Capitan, Sierra, etc installers. I recommend El Capitan to run older software like iLife/iWork. Why? It's just stable and runs some software operating systems like Sierra and newer stopped supporting.

4) I'd recommend buying the iLife/iWork 09 DVDs off eBay if the ones you have are older. The iLife 09 version was the final DVD release if I recall and so will have the final set of features and I know it works with El Capitan.

Once you have your iMac updated with the latest macOS, and Parallels is installed, you can create an El Capitan virtual machine in Parallels. It's fairly straightforward. When you go to create a new virtual machine you can point to the El Capitan installer you downloaded in Step 3 above, and you don't even need to make a bootable USB out of it, you can just point Parallels to the installer and the installation of the virtual machine begins. When complete, you can "boot" the virtual machine right from your desktop and run El Capitan in a window or full screen and you can switch back and forth between your desktop and El Capitan desktop. Again, if you aren't familiar kind of have to see it in action.

I run a number of different virtual machines for work and some ancient Windows/OS2/DOS just for fun.

Attached are two screenshots. One is El Capitan running in a Parallels window on my Big Sur desktop with iWeb running in a window on the El Capitan desktop. As you can see, I have the Big Sur menu bar at the top and Dock on the bottom. And in the El Capitan window, El Capitan has its own menu bar and dock. So El Capitan is effectively running "on top" of Big Sur. IMHO this is the easiest way to just keep using older software. There are adequate replacements for all the old iLife apps, but if you prefer to just keep using old iLife, this is the way to go.

 

[eRondeau]

Keep in mind that iWeb is 16 years old with its final release 11 years ago this week. Web standards have evolved over time, as have web design apps & plug-ins/widgets. With all due respect, you should be building websites for 2022 and beyond -- not 2011 and before. Apple gave-up on iWeb because there were better products on the market a decade ago. There are several MacOS replacements for iWeb still receiving regular updates that are just as intuitive as iWeb, not to mention online site builders that are integrated and very powerful. Give 'em a chance and you'll be very impressed.

 

[saudor]

Have you considered using content management systems like Wordpress, Drupal, and even complete solutions like Wix, squarespace, etc? The ease of use has gotten quite a bit better lately (drag and drop, no need to know code, etc) and might be worth a look.

 

[conmee]

I agree with eRondeau and saudor. Having said that, I thought I’d answer the technical aspect of being able to run ancient software. When I fire up iWeb 09 it asks if I want to sign in or sign up for MobileMe, so we are talking some quite old software. Good news it still doesn’t support Flash just like Steve Jobs intended. 😎